Home / News / Did you miss last night’s participatory budgeting meeting? You’ll get another chance tonight

Did you miss last night’s participatory budgeting meeting? You’ll get another chance tonight

November 15, 2016

Dear Neighbor,

Last night in an exercise of Rogers Park-style democracy, 49th Ward residents crowded into the New Field School gym to learn about participatory budgeting and to begin exchanging ideas on the type of infrastructure projects our community needs. Don’t worry if you missed it. You have another chance tonight to get on the “PB49” bandwagon!

Join your neighbors and me for the next Participatory Budgeting Neighborhood Assembly. It takes place TONIGHT, Tuesday, November 15th, 6:30 p.m. for free pizza courtesy of JB Alberto’s, and 7:00 p.m. for the start of the meeting, at Kilmer Elementary School, 6700 N. Greenview (one block south of Pratt).

Each year, I receive over $1 million from the City’s “Aldermanic Menu” program to spend at my discretion on infrastructure improvements in the ward. Seven years ago, I implemented a “participatory budgeting” process in which the residents of my ward decide directly through popular vote how those tax dollars are spent.

Even if you know how participatory budgeting works, you should attend a Neighborhood Assembly. The Neighborhood Assemblies are where the project ideas for next year are first devised. It’s also when we ask for volunteers to serve as “community representatives,” who will be charged with developing project proposals for the ward-wide vote next spring.

We will be considering only proposals for projects that fall within the boundaries of the 49th Ward.

If you would like more information on participatory budgeting in the 49th Ward, including the participatory budgeting election results and updates on the implementation of the winning projects, visit the Participatory Budgeting pageof my website.

The 49th Ward was the first political jurisdiction in the nation to adopt a participatory budgeting approach to public spending, and it’s been so well-received that I have pledged to make it a permanent fixture in the ward.

This year’s Presidential election was incredibly ugly and divisive. Here in the 49th Ward, we are showing a different way. We are bringing people from diverse backgrounds together to work for the common good.